If this newspaper cover is any indication, students at St. FX are fed up with the strike. (Carolyn Ray/CBC)

Stalled talks in the St. Francis Xavier contract dispute are resuming this afternoon, but a few dozen students are already lined up to take a bus out of Antigonish saying they're frustrated by the lingering strike.

Students have been waiting 17 days for class to resume.

The student union released a video on Wednesday pleading for the strike to end. It also says students deserve compensation for lost class time.

The school said it won't refund any of their money unless the entire semester is called off.

The St. FX Association of University Teachers and the university administration said both sides made progress during talks this morning.

If the sides do settle, students would have one week of classes before their spring week. Many out-of-province students said they're heading home to study.

Last Friday the university offered the AUT the option of entering into arbitration but the union declined.

A previous proposal — which was rejected by the membership — had a 1.5 per cent raise for each of the first two years, followed by 1.75 per cent in the third year and two per cent in the fourth year.

The union had been arguing for an increase of 10 or 11 per cent over four years.

The 400 members of the AUT— which include faculty, librarians, lab instructors and extension staff — have been on strike since Jan. 28. They've been without a contract for eight months.